ABUJA — President of Gosima Group, Dr. Gideon Chidiebere Osi, has urged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to prioritize and empower Nigerian contractors in Abuja’s development, warning that overdependence on foreign firms undermines sustainability.
Speaking in Abuja on Saturday during the company’s 2025 Management Training Programme themed “Leadership Training on Improved Project Management, Process Standardization, and Organizational Structure”, Osi praised Wike’s performance in the FCT so far.
“So far, the current Minister of FCT has been doing great. Abuja is awake for the first time after many years. And we commend him,” Osi said.
He, however, advised Wike to sanction non-performing local contractors while ensuring more Nigerian companies are given equal opportunities in FCT projects.
“Let him do everything possible to ensure that more Nigerian companies are involved in the activities and projects in FCT. That is the only way we can have sustainability,” he stressed.
Osi decried the dominance of foreign contractors, arguing that Nigerian professionals — engineers, architects, and quantity surveyors trained in local universities — are competent and only need support.
“The notion that local contractors always use substandard materials during construction is all about giving a dog a bad name to kill it. It is not true,” he said, calling for equal pay for both foreign and local firms.
The Gosima Group boss also called for accountability in the sector: “Local contractors who are awarded projects and fail to deliver should be prosecuted accordingly. Crime anywhere is crime.”
He highlighted the role of the private sector in job creation, warning that failure to support local companies could worsen unemployment among graduates.
“There is one thing to give people projects and another thing to pay for it. People should be encouraged, an enabling environment created, and support given to local companies,” Osi added.
The training programme involved 45 management staff, with knowledge expected to cascade to over 300 employees. Osi described the exercise as an “investment that must continue,” urging staff to embrace sincerity and commitment to duty for national progress.
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